BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Got your 2016 conservation projects planned out? Apply now for a chance to earn funding for them!
Five grant opportunities are available now with an application deadline of Jan. 15, 2016. If you have questions about any of them, contact Gene Gilliland, B.A.S.S. conservation director, at ggilliland@bassmaster.com. The awards will be announced at the 2016 Bassmaster Classic in Tulsa, Okla.
The five grants are listed below, along with information on how to apply for them.
Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative
Is your B.A.S.S. Nation club or state chapter planning a project that will make a difference in conserving our fishing resources and involve members of junior Bassmasters, high school or college fishing teams, youth clubs, Scouts, church youth groups, school science or conservation clubs?
If so, apply for the Shimano/B.A.S.S. Youth Conservation Initiative grant and you could be awarded from $500 up to several thousand dollars for the project.
“Through Shimano’s incredible generosity and commitment to conservation and youth, we will again this year be able to provide one grant per B.A.S.S. Nation division, if we get suitable applicants,” said Gilliland.
The grant program, unveiled at the Bassmaster Classic in February 2014, is designed to focus on involving youth in projects to conserve and restore fisheries habitat and other aquatic resources.
Recipients in 2014 included the Connecticut B.A.S.S. Nation for a habitat enhancement project on urban fishing ponds, the Georgia B.A.S.S. Nation for setting up a nursery to raise native aquatic plants for reservoir restoration projects, and the New Mexico B.A.S.S. Nation for a project to establish aquatic vegetation and install fish attractors in a fluctuating Southwest reservoir.
In 2015, recipients included both Virginia and West Virginia B.A.S.S. Nation clubs working on native aquatic plant introduction projects, clubs in Connecticut, Colorado and Alabama installing artificial fish habitat structures and a club in Kansas assisting its state fish and game agency with placing brushpiles in a local lake to increase fishing success.
“Proposals that show the best integration of B.A.S.S. members, youth organizations and other partner organizations or agencies, leverage matching funds or donated materials will receive the highest consideration,” explained Gilliland.
To apply, fill out this application and e-mail a scanned PDF version of the signed application to ggilliland@bassmaster.com.
Proposals will be judged by a panel that includes Gilliland; Jon Stewart, B.A.S.S. Nation director; Phil Morlock, Shimano director for environmental affairs; and other representatives from Shimano.
Berkley Conservation Institute Outstanding Project of 2015
Pure Fishing’s conservation arm, the Berkley Conservation Institute (BCI) will once again award $2,000 to a B.A.S.S. Nation chapter or club for conducting the most outstanding conservation project of the year.
BCI has supported the Conservation Award for many years with winners conducting projects on enhancing boating and fishing access, combating aquatic invasive species, improving fish habitat in lakes and reservoirs and restoring wetlands and stream reaches that feed important bass fisheries.
Submission documents should read like a news release, explaining the who, what, where, when and how of the project in a simple two-page or less narrative in an MS Word document or a scanned PDF file. Applicants are encouraged to submit high-resolution photographs as attached files with the narrative document that tell the story of the project, showing before, during and after images and club members at work.
The submission criteria are listed here. The application should explain the scope of the project, its significance to the fishery and the community; describe partners who assisted with the project either with labor or funding; describe how the project showed a new or creative way to address a problem or need. Although the project described in the submission should have been conducted in 2015, it can be part of a multi-year effort that is working towards addressing a need.
Judges will be Gilliland and Jim Martin, conservation director for Pure Fishing.
AERF-APMS/B.A.S.S. Conservation Aquatic Vegetation Management Award
If your B.A.S.S. Nation club has a proposal for a project that either helps control invasive aquatic plants or helps native vegetation thrive, your club could win the $3,000 AERF-APMS/B.A.S.S. Conservation Aquatic Vegetation Management Grant in 2016.
The chapter or club that proposes the most outstanding project will be awarded the grant. The project must be multi-year in scope and on waters accessible to the public. The proposal submission should be a one-page document and must include the components listed here. Submissions will be judged on the description of the need, goals and objectives, a monitoring plan, youth angler involvement, and partnering.
Projects must be submitted to Gilliland at ggilliland@bassmaster.com. Judges will be Gilliland and representatives of the Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration Foundation and the Aquatic Plant Management Society.
FishAmerica Foundation/B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Fund
The B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Fund in the FishAmerica Foundation (FAF) is entertaining proposals for 2016 projects.
B.A.S.S. Nation clubs in need of funding for activities, projects and programs related to fisheries and aquatic resource conservation and research should apply here. Funding requests from $500 to $5,000 will be considered.
Project submissions will be judged by an expert panel representing B.A.S.S. Conservation, FAF and fisheries management and research.
The fund will support grants for local efforts to accomplish fisheries management projects that include participation in research, as well as on-the-ground restoration of lake and river habitats, important to fish and aquatic ecosystems. Emphasis is on using grass-roots approaches to restore fisheries resources and habitat across America, including the Great Lakes region and Ontario.
A 2013 donation from Simms Fishing Products provided the seed money for this program. Those funds were awarded in February 2014 at the Bassmaster Classic Conservation Summit to the New Hampshire B.A.S.S. Nation for a project studying the movement of bass near a popular weigh-in location using radio telemetry. In 2014 and again in 2015, Nationwide Insurance made a donation to the account that will be the source of funds for the award(s) to be presented at the 2016 Classic.
“This partnership with FishAmerica Foundation provides B.A.S.S. with the chance to expand our reach in on-the-ground conservation opportunities,” said Gilliland. “And we really appreciate the donation from Nationwide that has allowed us to continue this grant program for a third year.”
Under the program, grants will be provided on a one-to-one matching ratio. Clubs must match the grant funds with an equivalent value in money, materials or in-kind services. Interim and final reports will be required of grant recipients to show B.A.S.S., FAF and donors that progress is being made and the funds are being used as planned.
Mossback Fish Habitat Enhancement Project
Mossback Fish Attractors is looking for innovative ways to use the company’s artificial structures in fish habitat enhancement projects. B.A.S.S. Nation chapters or clubs are encouraged to submit proposals for the chance to win $2,500 in free product, shipped to the winning organization.
Mossback attractors have been used in fish habitat projects across the country with great success. Made in part from recycled PVC pipe and polyethylene plastics such as discarded milk containers and soda bottles, these fish attractors are helping the environment and helping fishing at the same time. Unlike natural materials like trees or brush, these artificial structures withstand fluctuating water levels, sun exposure and should last indefinitely, maintaining their fish attraction qualities for years and years.
Applicants are asked to submit their proposals on the forms here. Submissions should explain the scope of the project, its significance to the fishery and the community; describe partners who assisted with the project either with labor or funding; describe how the project showed a new or creative way to address a problem or need.
Scan your completed application to a PDF file and e-mail it to ggilliland@bassmaster.com. Gilliland and representatives from Mossback will judge the submissions.